Courtney Sacco
Robbery, Shooting at Main Street Citizens Bank In Malden
Malden and several other police departments combed the area between Oak Grove and Forestdale this afternoon for a gunman who robbed a Citizens Bank branch on Main and Winter streets. The suspect fits the description given in recent robberies in Reading and Lynnfield. Two Malden schools were placed under a lockdown order during the ordeal.
According to Malden Police Lt. Tom Swanson, the suspect entered the bank sometime before 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon, approached a teller with a note demanding money. She complied, and he moved to leave the bank. When he got to the door, however, it was locked.
The gun didn't come out until the man realized he was locked in the bank. At that point, he pulled out a silver handgun and fired five rounds into the door, said Swanson.
Almost immediately, Malden, Melrose and State Police swarmed the area and began searching for the man, described as a black male, about five-feet, nine-inches tall, wearing a dark jacket and hat. Initial reports said the man was wearing a Cincinnati Reds hat, but surveillance photos show he was wearing a gray Red Sox hat, said Swanson.
Police brought several K-9 units to track the suspect on the ground, and a State police helicopter circled the area in an attempt to find the shooter. Melrose K-9 units parked in the Spadafora funeral home parking lot. Once the dogs got out of the car, they streaked down adjacent Leonard Street, climbing the hill up towards Waitt's Mount, with police in hot pursuit, according to Malden police radio transmissions.
Radio reports later said tracks leading off the hill were found. Swanson said he did not believe the suspect was still in the area.
Two schools—the Forestdale and Early Learning Center—were placed under a lockdown order during the ordeal, with students finally released just before 3 p.m., an hour after the usual 2 p.m. release time.
Outside the bank, police cordoned off the area. There was clear gunshot damage to the bank's front door, and at least two ballistic markers were visible in the parking lot.
Police encountered several false alarms during their search for the gunman. Malden police apprehended a man fitting the suspect's description. The man apparently ran once he spotted the officers, according to police radio transmissions. Police tracked him down and found crack cocaine in his possession.
Melrose Police stopped a man in Forestdale Cemetery on Forest Street who possibly fit the description of the gunman, but reported he was not the suspect.
In Melrose, an officer was stationed at the SEEM Collaborative Hurd School at the Ripley School at dismissal time.
The suspect in Thursday's robbery in Malden fits the description given in other area robberies, in Reading and Lynnfield, according to Swanson. Malden Police are consulting with those departments as they investigate the robberies, he said.
Anyone with information should contact the Malden Police Detective Bureau at 781-397-7181 or the FBI Bank Robbery Task Force at 617-742-5533. A reward may be offered.
-Patch
Robbery, Shooting at Main Street Citizens Bank In Malden
Malden and several other police departments combed the area between Oak Grove and Forestdale this afternoon for a gunman who robbed a Citizens Bank branch on Main and Winter streets. The suspect fits the description given in recent robberies in Reading and Lynnfield. Two Malden schools were placed under a lockdown order during the ordeal.
According to Malden Police Lt. Tom Swanson, the suspect entered the bank sometime before 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon, approached a teller with a note demanding money. She complied, and he moved to leave the bank. When he got to the door, however, it was locked.
The gun didn't come out until the man realized he was locked in the bank. At that point, he pulled out a silver handgun and fired five rounds into the door, said Swanson.
Almost immediately, Malden, Melrose and State Police swarmed the area and began searching for the man, described as a black male, about five-feet, nine-inches tall, wearing a dark jacket and hat. Initial reports said the man was wearing a Cincinnati Reds hat, but surveillance photos show he was wearing a gray Red Sox hat, said Swanson.
Police brought several K-9 units to track the suspect on the ground, and a State police helicopter circled the area in an attempt to find the shooter. Melrose K-9 units parked in the Spadafora funeral home parking lot. Once the dogs got out of the car, they streaked down adjacent Leonard Street, climbing the hill up towards Waitt's Mount, with police in hot pursuit, according to Malden police radio transmissions.
Radio reports later said tracks leading off the hill were found. Swanson said he did not believe the suspect was still in the area.
Two schools—the Forestdale and Early Learning Center—were placed under a lockdown order during the ordeal, with students finally released just before 3 p.m., an hour after the usual 2 p.m. release time.
Outside the bank, police cordoned off the area. There was clear gunshot damage to the bank's front door, and at least two ballistic markers were visible in the parking lot.
Police encountered several false alarms during their search for the gunman. Malden police apprehended a man fitting the suspect's description. The man apparently ran once he spotted the officers, according to police radio transmissions. Police tracked him down and found crack cocaine in his possession.
Melrose Police stopped a man in Forestdale Cemetery on Forest Street who possibly fit the description of the gunman, but reported he was not the suspect.
In Melrose, an officer was stationed at the SEEM Collaborative Hurd School at the Ripley School at dismissal time.
The suspect in Thursday's robbery in Malden fits the description given in other area robberies, in Reading and Lynnfield, according to Swanson. Malden Police are consulting with those departments as they investigate the robberies, he said.
Anyone with information should contact the Malden Police Detective Bureau at 781-397-7181 or the FBI Bank Robbery Task Force at 617-742-5533. A reward may be offered.
-Patch